BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

o 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


A  TREATISE 


SERICULTURE 


COMPILED  FROM  SOME  OF  THE  BEST  AUTHORS   EXTANT; 

BEING  A  GOOD  TEXT  BOOK  FOR  THE  NOVICE 

AND  FIRST  BEGINNER. 


BY    DANIEL   GRAVES, 
// 

PROVO,  UTAH  COUNTY. 


PRINTER  AT  STAR  BOOK  AND  JOB  OFFICE, 
SALT  LAKK  CITY. 

•       1880. 


COPYRIGHT  SECURED. 


5 


PREFACE. 


BCc^L  N  the  compilation  of  the  following  Tratise  on  Seri- 
KOpr  culture,  I  have  been  careful  to  avoid  all  extraneous 
matter,  making  it  so  plain  that  a  child  or  illiterate 
person  can  understand  its  contents,  and  be  enabled 
to  manipulate  the  silk-worm  in  all  its  varied  stages.  I  have 
selected  from  the  most  reliable  authorities  on  the  subject,  and 
have  added  some  notes  coming  under  the  notice  of  persons  en- 
gaged in  sericulture  in  this  Territory.  The  treatise  contains : 
1st — a  synopsis  of  the  early  and  present  history  of  silk  cul- 
ture;  2nd — the  variety  of  trees;  3rd — various  kinds  oi  silk- 
worms; 4th — their  diseases,  with  causes  and  remedies;  5th— 
the  concoonery,  hatching,  feeding,  etc.;  preservation  of  eggs 
and  cocoons. 

DANIEL  GRAVES. 


Q 


INDEX 


Synopsis  of  History 4 

Cultivation  and  Variety  of  Trees, 11 

Various  Kinds  of  Silk-worms, 16 

Diseases  of  Worms — Causes  and  Remedies, 21 

Feeding,  Cocoonery  aud  Hatching, 24 

Preservation  of  Eggs  and  Cocoons, 41 

Notes, ..41 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  SERICULTURE. 


IT  is  stated  in  the  oldest  books  of  the  Sanscript  that  the 
culture  of  the  silk-w*orm  commenced  first  in  China  in  the 
reign  of  Houng-to,  third  emperor  of  China,  and  known  in  his- 
tory as  the  Emperor  of  the  Earth,  B.  C.  2700,  being  cotempor- 
ary  with  Joseph,  the  son  of  Jacob,  while  sojourning  in  Egypt. 
Houng-to  conceived  the  idea  of  bringing  into  use  the  insects, 
which  were  indigeneous  and  fed  on  the  leaves  of  the  wild 
mulberry  tree  in  that  region,  and  requested  his  empress, 
Siling-chi,  to  prepare  a  place  and  collect  them  together,  and 
feed  them.  It  appears  she  did  this,  and  not  only  fed  them,  but 
spun  the  silk  and  made  it  into  garments;  the  Empress  Siling- 
chi  is  defined  as  the  "Goddess  of  Silk-worms,"  for  the  great 
boon  so  given  to  her  county,  and  at  the  present  time,  as  has 
been  done  from  time  immemorial,  the  Empress,  with  the 
ladies  of  the  Court  and  ministers'  wives,  go  in  the  spring- 
time to  the  fields  east  of  the  city,  purify  and  worship  the 
goddess ;  they  are  not  allowed  to  wear  costly  apparel,  or  work 
in  embroidery,  during  the  time  for  the  cultivation  of  the  silk- 
worm. At  the  present  time  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  employ- 
ments of  that  people,  who  export  millions  of  pounds  uf  raw 
silk  annually,  as  well  as  millions  of  dollars,  worth  of  eggs- 
From  China  it  extended  to  India,  Japan,  Arabia  and  other 
nations  of  Asia,  Europe,  and  lastly  to  America.  At  the  pres- 
ent day  the  silk-worm  is  becoming  one  of  the  greatest  sources 
of  wealth  to  those  contries  in  which  it  is  cultivated. 


6  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

It  was  not  known  to  the  ancients  from  what  silk  was  ob- 
tained until  Aristotle  conjectured  that  it  was  unwound  from 
the  pupa  of  a  caterpillar. 

In  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Aurelian  of  Rome,  A^  D. 
280,  an  attire  of  silk  was  considered  too  great  a  luxury  for 
even  an  empress  to  wear,  being  worth  its  weight  in  gold.  The 
mode  of  producing  and  manufacturing  silk  was  not  known 
in  Europe  until  the  sixth  century,  when  two  monks  of  the 
order  of  St.  Basil  arrived  at  the  court  of  the  Emperor  Justina 
at  Constantinople,  on  their  return  from  a  mission  to  China,  A. 
D.  556,  who  brought  with  them  in  their  casques,  seeds  of  the 
mulberry  and  the  silk-worm. 

Its  culture  soon  commenced  in  Greece,  and  the  Venetians 
were  soon  able  to  supply  the  whole  west  of  Europe.  It  was 
soon  introduced  into  Spain,  Portugal  and  Sicily,  and  in  1540 
it  extended  to  Piedmont  and  through  Italy,  where  it  soon 
ranked  with  the  best  of  Asiatic  origin.  In  France,  near 
Aragon,  in  1340,  mulberry  trees  were  being  planted  ;  in  1499, 
it  was  introduced  in  Alan,  but  was  not  thoroughly  established 
until  1603,  when  Henry  of  Navarre  encouraged  it.  The  Hu- 
guenots were  largely  engaged  in  the  silk  business  during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV,  but  owing  to  the  Edict  of  Nantes  being 
revoked  in  1685,  nearly  400,000  were  driven  into  exile,  and  as 
many  more  perished  and  were  slain.  This  almost  annihilated 
the  silk  manufacture  in  France.  In  Lyons,  18,000  looms  were 
reduced  to  4,000,  and  in  Tours  from  10,000  to  12,000  looms 
were  %  destroyed ;  its  mills  were  reduced  from  800  to  70. 
Weavers  could  not  be  found  for  them.  Over  100,000  Hugue- 
not refugees  fled  to  England. 

M.  Mavet  asserts,  in  his  history  of  the  silk  trade,  that  the 
first  mulberry  tree  was  brought  to  France  during  the  crusades 
of  Guipage  of  St.  Aubon,  and  planted  three  leagues  from 
Montmeliart.  This  tree  was  said  to  be  living  in  1810,  when 
M.  de  la  Tours  de  pay  le  Chaux,  caused  a  wall  to  be  built 
around  it,  forbidding  its  leaves  to  be  gathered.  The  cut- 
tings and  descendants  of  this  tree  now  cover  the  soil  of  France 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  / 

and  produced  to  the  state  in  1810,  more  than  100,000,000  Ibs. 
of  raw  silk,  and  more  than  400,000,000  francs  in  this  industry 
only,  and  the  amount  has  greatly  increased  since  that  time. — 
Cou  nt'  Delia  22  i . 

The  consumption  of  silk  in  France  in  1873  was  quoted 
at  1,600,000  Ibs.,  and  the  production  in  1812  was  987,000 
Ibs.  of  raw  silk,  and  a  like  quantity  was  imported.  Dr.  Lard- 
ner,  Count  de  Hazzi,  states  as  follows  :  "This  single' branch 
industry  in  1836  was  estimated  at  40,000,000  florins;  a  tenth 
of  which  was  obtained  from  the  production  of  its  raw  mate- 
rial, and  the  remainder  from  its  manufacture.  The  kingdom? 
from  recent  statistics,  derives  from  its  silk  products  23,000,000 
francs  per  annum,  and  84,000,000  francs  from  its  fabrication  ; 
whereby  the  capital  brought  into  circulation  amounts  to 
108,560,000  francs,  and  now  it  has  become  one  of  the  greatest 
industries.  In  1865  the  value  of  silk  goods  produced  was 
estimated  at  106,000,000  francs,  of  which  26,500,000  francs' 
worth  of  raw  material  was  imported.  The  home  consumption 
was  35,000,000  Ibs.;  expoit  71,000,000  Ibs. ;  silklooms  employed 
225,000,  giving  food  to  half  a  million  persons.  One-third  of 
these  products  was  brought  to  the  United  States;  this  country 
paid  France  for  her  silk  goods,  $9,900.000.  Finizio,  the  cel- 
ebrated manufacturer  of  Naples,  makes  and  sends  to  the  New 
York  market  3,000  Ibs.  of  sewing  silk  per  week. — Silk  C-ul. 
vol  xvi,  p.  133. 

"Turkey,"  says  Dr.  Landey,  "supplies  England  with  a 
considerable  quantity  of  silk  ;  the  imports  from  that  country 
averages  over  333,000  Ibs.  annually.  It  also  supplies  3,000  Ibs. 
of  sewing  silk  annually.  In  Turkey  its  productions  are  con- 
fined to  large  cities  and  towns,  and  in  their  neighborhood  the 
mulberry  trees  are  raised  by  the  farmer,  who  carries  on  a 
lucrative  business  by  gathering  the  leaves  and  taking  them 
to  market  every  morning  during  the  season  of  feeding  the 
worms.  The  principle  place  in  Asia  Minor  for  silk  is  Broosa, 
about  ninety  miles  south  of  Constantinople,  which,  in  favora- 
ble years  produces  from  7,000  to  8.000  bales  of  raw  silk.  At 


8  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

the  beginning  of  the  season  every  family  clears  out  all  the 
rooms  but  one,  in  their  houses,  in  which  they  live. 

Mr.  Russell, in  his  interesting  volume  on  Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern Egypt,  says :  "In  the  valle}7  of  Tumulate,  the  ancient  land  of 
Goshen,  is  established  a  colony  of  about  five  hundred  Syrians, 
for  the  purpose  of  cultivating  the  mulberry  tree  and  raising 
silk  worms,  in  the  beautiful  province  of  Fayoum,  forty  miles 
south  of  Cairo,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Nile." 

The  average  amount  of  silk  annually  exported  from  Italy 
is  computed  to  exceed  $17,500,000. — Count  Dondolo  on  Silk 
Culture,  vol.  it  p.  15. 

About  the  year  1605,  James  I  encouraged  the  raising  of 
the  mulberiy  tree  and  silk  worm,  but  the  climate  was  found 
to  be  unhealthful  for  the  insect,  arid  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  Colonies.  In  1622  the  Virginian  Company  was  urged  to 
promote  the  cultivation  of  the  mulberry  tree  and  the  raising 
of  the  silk-worm,  and  instructions  were  given  to  the  Earl  of 
Northampton  to  urge  the  cultivation  of  silk  in  preference  to 
that  of  tobacco.  He  wrote  to  the  governors  to  compel  the 
planting  of  mulberry  trees,  which  met  with  the  concurrence  of 
the  Assembly  in  1623,  and  every  land  owner  was  compelled  to 
plant  at  least  ten  trees  for  every  one  hundred  a^res  of  land  he 
possessed,  or  pay  a  fine  of  ten  pounds  of  tobacco.  In  1646,  an 
act  was  passed,  describing  silk  culture  as  the  most  profitable 
industry  in  the  country.  The  King,  having  worn  the  Virgin- 
ian silk,  told  Sir  William  Berkely,  then  governor,  that  it  was 
not  inferior  to  that  of  other  countries. 

In  Georgia,  in  1732,  a  piece  of  ground  was  given  by  the 
government  for  a  mulberry  plantation  and  nursery,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Piedmont  sent  to  instruct  the  people  in  this  branch  of 
industry.  In  1735,  eight  pounds  of  raw  silk  was  sent  from 
Savannah  to  England,  where  it  was  woven  and  sent  to  the 
Queen.  In  1749,  to  encourage  the  growth  of  colonial  silk,  it 
was  exported  free  of  duty,  and  an  Italian  gentleman  was  en- 
gaged to  instruct  the  Colonies  in  the  Italian  method  of  man- 
agement. In  1758  the  weight  of  silk  cocoons  received  at  the 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  U 

filature  was  1,052  pounds ;  next  year  7,540  pounds  ;  the  follow- 
ing year,  10,000  pounds,  and  at  that  time  the  raw  silk  from 
Georgia,  sold  in  London  from  two  to  three  shillings  per  pound 
more  than  that  from  other  countries.  In  1768  the  business 
was  greatly  increased,  when  a  serious  disaster  befel  it.  The 
storehouse  took  fire  and  consumed  a  large  quantity  of  raw 
silk  and  about  8,000  pounds  of  cocoons.  The  last  parcel  of 
silk  brought  for  sale  at  Savannah  in  1790,  upwards  of  200 
pounds,  was  purchased  for  exportation  at  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-six  shillings  per  pound. 

The  silk  culture  in  South  Carolina  commenced  about  the 
time  it  did  in  Georgia,  in  1732,  and  became  a  fashionable  em- 
ployment for  the  ladies  of  Carolina,  as  it  should  be  with 
others.  The  celebrated  Sir  Thomas  Lombe  said  that  the  qual- 
ity and  excellency  was  equal  to  any  produced  in  Italy.  In 
1768,  Dr.  Franklin  recommended  to  the  American  Philosoph- 
ical Society  of  Philadelphia,  a  filature  of  raw  silk  at  Philadel- 
phia, which  was  built  by  private  subscriptions  in  1770.  The 
following  year  2,300  pounds  of  raw  silk  was  brought  to  reel, 
and  in  1828,  by  order  of  Congress,  a  work  was  published 
which  says  that  in  1771,  silk  culture  commenced  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  New  York,  and  continued  with  spirit  for  several 
years. 

In  1770,  Mrs.  Susanna  Wright  at  Columbia,  Lancaster 
County,  made  a  piece  of  matua,  sixty  yards  in  length  from 
her  own  cocoons,  which  was  afterwards  worn  as  a  court  dress 
by  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain.  Grace  Ischen,  about  the  same 
time,  made  a  considerable  quantity  of  silk  stuffs,  a  piece  of 
which  was  presented  by  Governor  Dickinson  to  the  celebrated 
Catherine  Maccerly.  Many  ladies,  prior  to  the  Revolution 
wore  silk  dresses  of  their  own  fabrication.  At  a  large  meeting 
of  silk  growers  in  the  hall  of  the  Franklin  Institute,  January 
7,  1839,  Dr.  Mease  presented  several  specimens  of  silk  woven 
and  dyed  about  the  time  before  mentioned,  which  was  highly 
creditable,  and  the  venerable  speaker  facetiously  remarked, 


10  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

though  not  so  splendid  as  that  now  manufactured,  noth with- 
standing it  would  make  a  very  fine  show  in  a  country  church. 

In  1760,  Mr.  N.  Aspinall  planted  the  white  mulberry  tree 
and  introduced  the  eggs  of  silk  worms  in  the  town  of  Mans- 
field, Conn.,  and  New  Haven,  and  Dr.  Eyra  Styles  obtained 
a  bounty  from  the  legislature  to  encourage  the  raising  of  mul- 
berry trees  and  raw  silk. 

In  1789, 200  pounds  of  raw  silk  was  produced;  in  1793,  365 
pounds.  In  1810  the  sewing  and  ra^w  silk  of  New  England, 
Windham  and  Tollard  were  valued  by  the  United  States  mar- 
shal at  $2,850,  exclusive  of  the  amount  of  domestic  fabrics, 
and  double  that  amount  in  1823.  So  popular  indeed  had  the 
silk  products  become  at  this  period  that  they  were  readily 
taken  and  paid  there  as  a  circulating  medium.  In  1839  the 
New  England  States  were  more  or  less  engaged  in  the  culture 
of  silk  and  its  manufacture,  which  was  encouraged  by  the 
bounty  given  by  the  legislature  to  encourage  the  silk  enterprise. 

From  1780  to  1823-4,  the  amount  of  silk  made  in  the 
United  States  was  not  very  great.  It  had  been  more  of  a  dom- 
estic manufacture  in  several  districts;  many  families  made 
there  from  five  to  fifty  pounds  annually,  and  an  enthusiastic 
worker  brought  her  produce  from  eighty  to  one  hundred 
pounds.  This  domestic  produce  was  more  common  in  Con- 
necticut than  elsewhere,  but  was  quite  common  in  New  Jersey 
and  in  a  few  other  states. 

During  the  War  of  1812-13,  Samuel  Chidsey,  of  Cayuga, 
New  York,  sold  sewing  silk  annually  to  the  amount  of  $600, 
from  silk  raised  by  his  own  family. 

In  1875  the  United  States  paid  $28,540,369  for  raw  silk. 
At  the  present  time  the  silk  industry  of  the  United  States  is 
making  great  strides,  and  bids  fair  to  compete  with  the  other 
silk  growing  and  manufacturing  countries.  In  many  of  the 
old  tobacco  growing  states  they  are  plowing  up  their  fields  and 
planting  mulberry  trees. 


TRP;ATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  11 


CHAPTER  I. 


ON  the  class  and  order  of  trees,  with  the  Genus  Morus,  commonly  called  the 
mulberry  tree,  of  which  there  are  five  species,  namely:  The  Alba  or 
White  Tartarian;  Nigra,  or  Black;  Rubus,  or  Red;  Tinctoria,  or  Fustic- 
wood. 

Species  1.  Alba,  white;  China;  leaves  slightly  cordate,  equal  at  the  base, 
ovate  orlobed,  unequally  serrated,  smooth,  consisting  of  ten  sub-varieties. 

Species  2.  Tartarica,  Tartarian,  Tartary;  leaves  slightly  cordate,  equal  at  the 
base,  ovate,  or  lobed,  equally  serrated,  smooth. 

Species  3.  Nigra,  black,  or  common;  Italy;  leaves  cordate,  ovate,  or  lo£ed, 
unequally  toothed,  scabrous. 

Species  4.  Kubia,  red;  North  American;  leaves  cordate,  ovate,  accuminate 
or  three  lobed,  equally  serrated,  scabrous,  soft  beneath,  fine  spikes,  cylin- 
drical. 

Species  5.  Tinctoria,  Fusticwood;  West  Indies;  leaves  oblong,  unequal  at  the 
base,  spines  auxilary,  solitary. 

Morus  Tinctoria  is  a  tall  branching  tree,  with  a  fine  head, 
smooth  leaves,  and  oval  shaped  solitary  spikes.  The  whole 
plant  abounds  in  a  slightly  glutinous  milk,  of  a  sulphurous 
color.  The  timber  is  yellow,  and  a  good  deal  used  in  dying, 
for  which  it  is  imported  under  the  name  of  fusticwood. 

Morus  Multicaulis,  which  has  been  highty  recommended 
by  Mr.  Hugg,  of  California,  and  others,  is  entirely  condemned 
by  the  United  States  Silk  Association.  (See  History  Silk  In- 
dustry, published  1876,  chapter  6,  page  38.  The  Morus  Mul- 
ticaulis Mania.)  It  was  easily  raised  from  cuttings.  Gideon 
B.  Smith,  of  Baltimore,  is  said  to  have  owned  the  first  tree  in 
the  United  States,  which  was  planted  in  1826;  bul  Dr.  Felix 
Pascalis,  of  New  York,  was  the  first  to  make  known  to  the 
public  the  remarkable  growth  and  supposed  excellence  of  the 


12  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

tree,  and  so  opened  the  Pandora's  box,  from  which  so  many 
evils  followed.  The  excitement  grew  slowly  until  1839,  when 
it  progressod  so  rapidly  as  to  cause  ruin  to  its  cultivators.  The 
young  trees  or  cuttings  which  were  sold  in  1834-5  for  $3  or  $5 
per  hundred,  were  worth  $25,  $50,  $100,  $200,  and  even  $500 
per  hundred. 

In  the  spring  of  1839,  when  Mr.  Whitmarsh  and  Dr. 
Stebbin,  of  Northampton,  were  rejoicing  over  the  purchase  of 
a  dozen  Multicaulis  cuttings,  not  more  than  two  feet  long  and 
of  the  thickness  of  a  pipe  stem,  for  $25,  exclaimed  the  Doctor 
in  enthusiasm,  "they  are  worth  $60."  A  nurseryman,  who  in 
1835  had  sold  small  quantities  to  nurserymen  in  several  of  the 
Massachusetts  cities,  whilst  at  work,  determined  to  make  a 
push  for  a  speculation ;  he  took  and  dressed  himself  up  and 
went  to  all  thpse  he  had  sold  to  formerly,  and  others  that  had 
any  of  said  trees.  Arriving  at  Newport  they  offered  fifty 
cents  each  for  ajl  he  had.  The  nurseryman  thought  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  raising  up  his  head,  said:  "I  do  not  think  I 
want  to  sell  what  few  I  have ;"  and  he  went  from  place  to 

place.  "I  came  back,"  said  Mr. ,  "and  you  could  not 

have  bought  in  any  of  the  towns  I  visited  for  a  dollar  apiece, 
although  a  week  before  they  would  have  been  satisfied  with 
25cts.  each  for  them."  After  having  imported  from  France 
and  multiplied  his  cuttings,  and  from  the  success  he  had 
made,  so  enormous  were  his  sales,  that  in  the  winter  of  1838-9 
he  sent  an  agent  to  France  with  $80,000  in  hand,  with  orders 
to  purchase  one  million  or  more  trees,  to  be  delivered  in  the 
summer  and  fall ;  but  the  crisis  had  come  before  their  arrival 
and  the  bubble  had  bursted ;  so  great  was  the  panic  that  no 
purchaser  could  be  found.  Thus  was  the  great  mania  and 
downfall  of  the  raising  of  silkworms  in  the  states,  the  ruin  of 
many,  for  hundreds  of  acres  were  planted  with  trees  which  was 
of  little  account.  Supposing  the  Morus  Multicaulis  was  what 
has  been  claimed  for  it  by  some,  it  would  not  suit  this  north- 
ern clime,  being  too  tender  to  stand  our  winters. 

The  Morus  Alba  is  the  hardiest  of  all  the  varieties,  and  is 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  13 

said  to  contain  more  silk  than  any  of  the  other  classes ;  but 
there  are  many  sub-varieties  of  the  first  named,  for  by  sowing 
seed,  they,  like  many  other  things,  do  not  produce  their  like. 
As  in  other  fruits,  the  best  way  is  to  raise  by  layers,  as  cuttings 
do  not  succeed  well. 


CHAPTER  II.— PREPARING  THE  GROUND  FOR 
PLANTING. 


1. — Plow  or  dig  -deep,  making  furrows  and  filling  them 
up  with  good  rotten  manure  before  planting  trees  or  cuttings, 
and  when  planted  press  the  soil  tightly  to  and  around  the 
roots.  Compost  leaf,  mould,  and  rotten  stable  manure  are 
suitable. 

2. — In  sowing  the  seed  make  a  rich  bed  facing  the  south, 
with  good  composts,  similar  to  the  former,  only  mixing  sand 
to  make  it  light;  keep  the  soil  moist;  the  time  of  sowing  is 
from  the  1st  of  April  to  the  1st  of  May,  but  in  some  seasons 
until  the  1st  of  June.  It  is  computed,  says  a  writer  in  the 
first  volume  of  a  silk  manual,  that  one  ounce  of  seed  properly 
sown  will  produce  5,000  young  trees.  Judge  Compstock  says 
from  one  pound  of  seed  may  be  realized  100,000  trees.  He 
also  says  there  are  about  322,700  seeds  in  a  pound  ;  this  there- 
fore allows  one  seed  out  of  every  three  to  vegetate.  Count  De 
Hazzi  says:  "From  9,600  to  10,000  seeds  weigh  one  ounce  of 
our  Bavarian  weight."  Judge  Compstock  says :  "Before  sow- 
ing, the  seed  should  be  steeped  in  water  about  blood  warm  for 
from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours,"  according  to  an  actual 
trial  made  on  the  9th  of  February,  1839.  Let  the  plowing  or 
digging  be  done  the  previous  winter  and  leave  it  rough ; 
should  the  weather  be  dry,  water  every  other  evening;  water 
with  liquid  manure  or  soap  suds  once  a  week.  Sow  in  drills, 
stirring  the  ground  between  the  drills  prior  to  watering  with 


14  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

the  liquid  manure  or  soap  sujjs.  The  first  winter  protect  the 
young  plants  by  mulching  them  with  litter  or  straw,  first  lay- 
ing across  some  large  willows  so  as  to  keep  the  litter  or  straw 
from  pressing  too  heavy  upon  them,  as  soon,  or  before  there 
comes  a  black  frost. 

3. — Setting  out  a  mulberry  orchard.  Says  Mr.  Goodrich, 
president  af  the  Hartford  Silk  Association  :  "I  advise  to  set 
the  rows  eight  feet  apart,  and  in  the  rows  two  feet  apart,  which 
will  take  2,700  trees  to  an  acre,  and  when  they  are  too  thick 
to  take  out  every  other  one  so  as  to  plow  between  the  rows," 
and  he  also  says,  "plant  potatoes  between  the  rows  until  the 
roots  and' tops  begin  to  spread  too  far,  the  ground  being  well 
manured." 

In  India  and  Persia  the  dwarf  orchards  are  not  allowed 
to  rise  above  eight  feet,  being  so  pruned  that  a  man  standing 
upon  the  ground  may  be  able  to  leach  the  top.  Begin  to 
prune  the  young  trees  the  first  year  after  having  set  them  out, 
to  three  eyes,  and  so  on  each  year,  the  young  twigs  being  used 
to  feed  the  worms.  Let  no  leaves  grow  below  two  feet  from 
the  ground.  Mr.  Bonafout,  the  celebrated  writer  on  silk  cul- 
ture, the  disciple  of  Count  Dondolo,  and  the  director  of  the 
Royal  Gardens  of  Paris,  and  also  Dr.  Tinally,  D.  C.  S.,  Univer- 
sity of  Paris,  says:  "This  method  is  generally  adopted  in 
Italy  and  the  plan  of  hedgerow  planting  is  done  with  less  ex- 
pense and  more  profit  than  standard  planting." 


CHAPTER  II.— PLANTING. 


The  planting  of  Morus  Alba  in  the  hedge  form  will  be 
found  the  most  advantageous ;  the  same  quantity  of  land  will 
thus  produce  at  least  80  per  cent,  more  leaves  than  from 
standard  trees,  and  the  labor  for  gathering  full  one-half  less. 
Count  Dondolo  says:  "The  mulberry  tree  should  only  be 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  15 

stripped  once  a  year,  and  that  crop  should  be  gathered  so  as 
to  allow  time  for  the  leaves  to  shoot  before  the  cold  weather 
sets  in,  or  the  tree  will  shortly  die.  The  planting  out  of  a 
mulberry  orchard  is  one  thing  and  the  raising  of  silk  another; 
for,  as  in  France,  Italy,  Brooza,  Turkey  or  Persia,  the  orchards 
are  farmed  out  and  the  leaves  brought  to  the  cities,  (where  the 
worms  are  raised  by  women  and  children,)  and  sold  every 
morning.  But  here  in  Utah,  where  nearly  every  family  have 
a  small  piece  of  ground  by  their  dwellings,  trees  may  be  set 
by  their  fences,  so  as  to  let  the  children  pick  the  leaves  and 
feed  the  worms.  This  is  what  may  be  termed  cottage  culture, 
whereby  every  family  of  four  or  five  children,  in  about  six 
weeks  can  earn  more  than  all  the  clothes  they  wear  would 
cost.  Let  them  be  planted  from  the  fence  two  feet  and  apart 
three  feet. 

Several  years  since  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Mansfield, 
Connecticut,  purchased  a  farm  on  which  was  planted  twelve 
mulberry  trees,  of  full  growth.  Knowing  nothing  of  the 
business  of  making  silk  he  supposed  them  to  be  of  no  more 
use  than  the  ordinary  value  of  forest  trees  for  fuel.  A  neigh- 
bor, however,  called  upon  him  and  agreed  to  pay  him  twelve 
dollars  annually  for  the  privilege  of  picking  the  leaves.  The 
farmer,  to  his  astonishment,  found  that  the  twelve  trees  were 
as  good  to  him  as  $200  at  six  per  cent,  interest  per  annum. 

A  writer  to  the  Silk  Cultunst,  inquires  whether  a 
farmer  cannot  plant  trees,  and  let  them  out  to  poor  families, 
to  make  silk  on  shares.  The  answer  given  is  as  follows1 
"There  are  but  few  farms  but  what  might  be  fourfolded,  and 
by  adopting  this  course  would  give  an  opportunity  to  the  in- 
dustrious poor,  not  only  to  provide  for  the  present  wants  of 
their  families,  but  to  lay  up  something  in  store  for  the  day  of 
adversit}r. 

NOTE. — In  gathering  the  leaves,  be  sure  to  leave  leaves  at 
the  top  ends  of  every  twig  to  be  preserved  to  draw  the  sap, 
and  preserve  the  life  and  vigor  of  the  tree.  And  in  gathering 


16  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

the  leaves  be  sure  not  to  strip  by  drawing  the  hand  down- 
wards, for  by  so  doing  you  may  destroy  the  germ  or  bud  at  the 
root  of  the  leaf,  but  be  careful  to  pass  the  hand  upwards. 


CHAPTER  L— GENUS,  SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES   OF 
THE  SILK  WORM. 

The  silk- worm,  or  Bom  by  x  Mori,  is  one  of  the  various 
families  of  caterpillars  that  pass  through  several  transforma- 
tions into  their  final  state,  the  moth  or  butterfly  ;  order,  lepid- 
optera,  being  four  flaked  wing  insects  and  are  silk  producing 
The  silk  secretion  of  the  caterpillar  of  the  Bombyx  Mori 
is  said  to  be  provided  with  glands,  by  which  the  juices 
of  the  mulberry  leaf  are  discussed  and  secreted  so  as  to  supply 
the  different  organs  without  any  admixture  of  other  ingredi- 
ents. Without  this,  the  silk  would  not  be  of  the  quality  and 
texture  in  which  it  is  found.  According  to  Randohr,  these 
secretors  consist  of  two  transparent  membranes,  between  which 
flows  a  yellow,  limpid  jelly.  The  longer  the  secretors,  the 
greater  is  the  quantity  of  silk  expended  by  the  insect  in  the 
construction  of  its  cocoon.  When  the  larva  of  the  Bombyx 
Mori  attains  its  full  size,  it  ceases  to  eat  and  instinctively  pre- 
pares and  encloses  itself  in  three  coverings:  1 — with  floss; 
2— with  silk  ;  and  3 — with  gum  ;  with  which  last  it  lines  the 
inside  of  the  cocoon,  except  at  one  end,  which  it  only  partially 
closes ;  and  at  that  end  where  it  will  have,  from  the  position 
of  its  body,  neither  inconvenience  nor  obstruction  when  the 
period  arrives  for  it  to  make  its  egress. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  17 

The  cocoon  being  constructed,  disengages  itself  from  its 
fourth  skin  and  enters  its  chrysalis  state ;  after  throwing  off 
the  above  skin,  it  makes  a  new  one,  which  hardens  into  a 
leathery  hide.  In  ten  or  twelve-  days  the  chrysalis  swells, 
bursts,  and  the  moth  struggles  out  of  its  leathern  envelope  into 
the  chamber  of  the  cocoon,  and  makes  its  way  out  as  a  moth 
with  wings  to  float  in  air. — Spectacle  de  la  Nature;  Count 
Dondolo  and  others. 

The  worm  commonly  employed  in  the  production  of  silk, 
is  by  Count  Dondolo  called  the  silk-worm  of  four  moultings, 
of  which  he  mentions  two  varieties:  1st.— That  which  makes 
a  straw-colored  cocoon,  and  that  which  produces  a  deep  yellow 
one,  and  gives  the  preference  for  the  former,  the  small 
silk-worm  of  three  moultings.  *The  eggs  of  this  species  weigh 
one-eleventh  less  than  the  eggs  of  the  common  silk-worm — 
39,168  of  the  latter  weighing  one  ounce ;  while  42,260  of  the 
former  are  required  to  make  that  weight.  The  silk  is  of  a  fine 
quality  and  takes  400  cocoons  to  make  one  pound,  whilst  240 
cocoons  of  the  common  silk-worm  weighs  that  amount. 

2nd. — The  large  silk-worm  of  four  moultings,  the  eggs  of 
which  species  the  Count  obtained  from  Friuli,  is  rather  objected 
to  on  account  of  the  coarseness  of  the  silk. 

3d. — The  worms  that  produce  white  silk:  In  respect  to 
this  species  the  Count  says:  "I  have  raised  a  large  quantity 
of  them,  and  found  them  equal  in  all  respects  to  the  common 
silk-worm  of  four  moultings,  that  producing  white  silk  pre- 
ferable to  any  other.  If  I  raised  silk-worms  for  my  own 
spinning  I  would  only  cultivate  the  silk-worm  of  three  moult- 
ings, and  the  white  preferable  to  all  others ;  and  every  year 
I  would  choose  the  whitest  and  finest  cocoons,  to  prevent  the 
degeneration  of  the  species."  This  kind  was  introduced  into 
France  about  the  year  1783,  and  is  there  highly  esteemed. 
It  is  supposed  to  be  that  which  is  known  under  the  name  of 
the  "white  worm,"  which  produces  two  crops  in  one  season. 

*  This  means  when  green. 


18  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

To  the  species  enumerated  by  Dondolo  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  add : 

4th. — The  dark  drab  colored  worm:  This  is  very  com- 
mon in  the  United  States..  They  are  commonly  called  the 
"black  worm."  They  live  longer  and  make  a  greater  quan- 
tity of  silk  than  the  large  white  worm. 

5th. — Silk  worms  of  eight  crops :  There  are  two  varieties, 
according  to  a  statement  of  Lord  Valencia;  he  found  one  at 
Jungpore,  Bengal,  which  was  supposed  to  be  indigeneous,  and 
is  called  *"Dacey ;"  and  another  variety  he  called  f'China"  or 
"Manrassa,"  which  yields  eight  crops. 

6th. — The  mammoth  white  silk-worm,  which  is  said  to  be 
a  veiy  superior  species,  makes  a  large  cocoon  and  silk  of  a 
fine  texture  as  well  as  very  strong. 

The  distinction  between  one,  two,  three,  &c.  crop  of  eggs 
is  not  by  some  well  understood.  It  means  this:  The  eggs  of 
the  one  crop  can  be  hatched  successfully  from  the  eggs  of  the 
previous  year,  kept  over  winter  to  the  following  spring;  but 
the  two  crop  eggs  may  be  hatched  first  from  the  eggs  of  the 
previous  year,  and  next  from  the  first  hatching  of  the  season. 

The  three  crop  eggs  will  hatch  successfully  from  the  sarrid 
season's  eggs,  in  so  many  repeated  times. 

The  eggs  of  the  one  crop  will  not  produce  worms  until 
the  following  season. 

To  the  species  enumerated  above  may  be  added  others 
that  are  either  yet  wild  and  too  rarely  seen,  which  produce 
from  other  trees. 

1st. — The  Pennsylvaniaii  silk -worm.  This  kind  was  found 
by  the  Rev.  S.  Tullin.  He  says  he  discovered  the  aurelia  of  a 
caterpillar,  and  on  examination  it  was  found  not  inferior  to 

"Travels  in  India,  1802,  1806;  vol.  i,  p.  78;  London  1809. 

tThe  last  may  be  the  kind  mentioned  by  Arthur  Young,  who  says  he  ob- 
tained a  silk- worm  from  China  which  he  reared,  and  in  twenty-five  days  he  had 
cocoons;  and  by  the  twenty-ninth  day  he  had  a  new  progeny  feeding  in  his 
trays.  He  remarks  that  "they  would  be  a  mine  of  wealth  to  those  who  would 
cultivate  them." — Annals  of  Agriculture,  vol.  xxiii,  p.  235. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  19 

the  silkworm  in  the  quality  of  its  silk.  The  cocoons  were 
three  inches  and  a  quarter  in  length,  one  inch  in  diameter, 
nearly  resembling  a  dried  bladder,  of  a  reddish-brown  color; 
weight  twenty-one  grains;  it  was  covered  with  floss.  Though 
perforated  by  the  moth  it  unwound  in  hot  water  by  which  it 
was  tested. — British  Annual  Register  and  the  Silkculturist. 
Mr.  Chambers,  of  Uniontown,  foun'd  it  on  an  elder  bush,  the 
cocoon  being  as  large  as  a  goose  egg.  The  editor  of  the  Silk- 
culturist  says  naturalists  call  it  the  "Attacus  Cecropia  of  Lin- 
naeus," and  it  feeds  on  the  current,  elder,  barbery,  wild  cherry 
and  other  trees.  The  foregoing  is  confirmed  by  G.  B.  Smith, 
Esq.,  in  the  SilJcculturist  for  October,  1837.  Mr.  Smith  was 
not  very  successful  with  those  he  tried.  They  would  not  feed 
kindly,  and  the  moth  flew  away  as  soon  as  it  escaped  from  the 
cocoon,  and  the  silk  could  not  be  reeled. 

2d. — The  Virginian  silk-worm.  Mr.  Sheppard,  of  New 
Haven,  says  the  editor  of  the  Sitkcultwrist,  p.  19,  presented  us 
with  a  speciman  of  the  Bombyx  Virginicanus,  or  the  native 
'silk-worm  of  Virginia.  It  was  found  in  great  numbers  on  the 
plantation  of  J.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  Stafford  County,  and  is  capable 
of  enduring  the  most  rigorous  winter.  The  cocoons  are  found 
suspended  to  the  red  cedar,  and  yield  a  beautiful  white  silk  of 
a  strong  thread. 

3d. — The  Tusser  or  Bughy  silk-worm,  a  native  of  Bengal, 
exceeding  in  size  the  common  silkworm.  The  silk  is  found  in 
great  abundance  in  Bengal  and  adjoining  provinces.  From 
time  immemorial  it  has  supplied  a  durable,  though  coarse  silk, 
which  is  much  worn  by  the  Brahmins  and  other  castes  of 
Hindoostan.  When  full  grown  it  is  about  four  inches  long, 
bulky,  of  a  green  color,  lateral  strips  of  yellow  edged  with  red. 
When  ready  to  spin  it  envelopes  itself  in  two  or  three  leaves 
of  the  jujube  tree,  the  same  on  which  they  feed.  These  leaves 
form  an  exterior  envelope,  which  serve  as  a  basin  to  spin  the 
cocoon  in,  which  is  then  suspended  by  a  thick  silk  cordfrcm  the 
branch  of  the  tree.  It  remains  nine  months  in  the  pupa,  or 
chrysalis  state,  and  three  months  in  the  eggs  or  caterpillar. 


TREATISE  OIS7  SERICULTURE. 

The  moth  measures  from  the  extremities  of  its  wings,  five  or 
six  inches;  the  female  eight  inches.  It  immediately  escapes. 
Mr.  Latrelle  says  it  is  the  same  kind  as  the  wild  one  of  China. 

4th. — The  Arrindy  silk-worm.  This  is  the  Bombyx 
Cyncthia  of  the  naturalist;  it  is  peculiar  to  Bengal,  and  feeds 
on  the  castor  oil  leaf.  The  silk  from  them  can  only  be  spun, 
and  when  made  up  can  be  washed  only  in  cold  water,  as  hot 
water  will  destroy  the  fabric. 

5th. — The  Jarrao  silk-worm.  This  variety  is  found  in 
India;  the  cocoons  are  spun  in  the  coldest  months  ;  the  silk  is 
of  a  dark  color.  The  males,  when  hatched,  fly  away,  and  the 
females  remain  upon  the  asseen  tree,  (the  terminula  alata 
glabra  Roxburgh.)  They  are  not  impregnated  by  the  males 
bred  with  them,  but  in  ten  or  twelve  hours  another  flight  of 
males  arrive,  and  the  females  afterward  deposit  eggs  on  the 
branches. 

6th. — The  Emperor  moth  is  deserving  of  attention  on 
account  of  the  beauty  of  its  cocoons.  It  feeds  on  fruit  trees  or 
willows,  and  spins  a  cocoon  in  the  form  of  a  Florence  flask. 
The  silk  is  strong,  closely  woven,  well  gummed,  and  the  ap- 
pearance is  of  damask  as  to  softness,  and  is  as  pliable  as 
leather.  The  tortrix  chlorana,  gypsy  moth,  cream  spot,  tiger 
moth,  dock  weevil,  puss  moth,  and- many  others,  spin  cocoons 
which  cannot  be  reeled,  but  make  a  very  fine  and  elastic  silk 
when  spun. 

7th. — The  Bombyx  Chrysorrhoea  spins  in  company  with 
ibree  or  four  hundred  round  the  ends  of  two  or  three  twigs 
and  leaves,  leaving  space  for  them  to  retire  and  shut  them- 
selves in,  covering  it  with  layers  of  silk  so  strong  as  to  stand 
against  wind  and  rain. 

8th,  9th. — Tsouenkien  and  Tyankien,  silk-worms  of  China.* 

*Du  Halde  mentions  in  the  province  of  Chanboug  a  species  of  silk  is  found 
on  trees  in  great  quantities,  which  is  spun  and  made  into  stuffs  called  kient- 
chou.  The  silkvjf  the  first  is  a  reddish  grey,  the  other  darker,  very  durable, 
and  washes  like  linen. —  History  of  China,  vol.  iii,  p.  359.  Historie  des  Science 
les  Acts  des  China  par  Maillatorn  2,  p.  4H4,  note  38.  Madam  Lottius'  Treatise 
on  Silkworms,  Paris  1757.  Annals  of  Botany  2d,  p.  104. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  21 

10th. — The  Social  Silk  Nest  Spinner  of  South  America: 
Don  Louis  Nee  saw  growing  on  trees  in  Chrysaneingo,  Tixtala, 
in  South  America,  ovate  nests  of  caterpillars,  eight  inches  long, 
which  the  inhabitants  make  into  stockings  and  handkerchiefs. 

llth  and  12th. — Chinese  wild  silk-worms  of  the  fagara 
and  ash  tree,  and  the  Chinese  wild  silk-worm  of  the  oak. 

The  memoirs  of  M.  P.  d'Incarville  speak  of  three  kinds 
of  the  wild  silk-worm ;  one  feeding  on  the  fagara  or  paper  tree 
and  ash  tree,  and  another  on  the  oak. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  ash  tiees  in  China — the  tcheon- 
tchun  and  kiang-chun — the  former  the  same  as  our  ash. 

These  worms  moult  four  times.  The  cocoons  are  said  to 
be  as  large  as  an  egg,  and  are  not  reeled  but  carded  and  spun. 

In  the  first  volume  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society 
of  Philadelphia  is  a  paper  of  the  late  Moses  Barnham,  in 
which  is  recorded  experiments  made  with  caterpillars. 


CHAPTER  I.— DISEASES  OF  WORMS. 


1st. — Pattre  is  known,  1st — by  yellow  tinge  of  worms; 
2nd — lengthened  spine,  shape  and  wrinkled  skin  ;  3rd — from 
its  shape  and  stretched  feet;  4th — it  eats  little  and  languishes. 

CAUSE. — Is  said  to  be  excess  of  heat  during  the  dormant 
state,  and  pressure  of  litter. 

REMEDY. — Remove  them  to  a  healthy  place;  feed  a  due 
supply  of  tender  leaves  and  preserve  a  uniform  temperature. 

2nd. — Grassenie  or  fat.  This  disease  generally  appears 
about  the  second  moulting,  rarely  later— and  is  scarcely  known 


22  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

in  the  fourth  age.  Symptoms :  1st— eat  but  do  not  digest  the 
food  ;  2nd — swell  and  become  bloated  ;  3rd — their  bodies  be- 
come opaque  and  of  a  greenish  color  ;  4lh — around  the  breath- 
ing aperture  becomes  of  a  citron  or  dirty  white  color;  5th — 
their  skins  tear  from  the  least  touch ;  6th — they  are  covered 
.with  an  oily  humor;  7th — they  appear  disposed  ID  obtain  re- 
lief from  distension  and  stretching  their  feet;  8th — acrid 
humor  proceeding  from  it.  The  last  stage  of  this  is  death  to 
any  worm  it  comes  in  contact  with. 

•  CAUSES.-— Said  by  Mr.  Nysten  and  Mr.  Roberts  to  be  too 
glutinous  and  substantial  food,  occasioning  indigestion  in  the 
young  worm.  La  Browse  says  it  is  neglecting  to  dry  the 
leaves  when  wet  by  rain  or  dews,  and  a  lack  of  fresh  air. 

REMEDY. — Remove  to  a  distinct  place,  give  less  quanti- 
ties of  nourishment,  poorer  leaves  and  keep  a  moderate  tem- 
perature. 

3rd. — Lidsette  to  Shine.  Few  worms  are  attacked  with 
this  until  after  the  fourth  moulting.  S3rmptoms  are  1st — 
shining;  2nd — a  clear  red  changing  to  a  dirty  white;  3rd— 
it  observed,  a  vicious  humor  drops  from  its  silk  tubes;  4th— 
its  body  becomes  transparent. 

CAUSES. — By  negligence  of  feeding.  Symptoms  proved 
by  Mr.  Nysten,  reseherces  in  Malardus,  des  verf  a  soie  par  R. 
N.  Nysten,  Paris,  Des  Vers  a  Soie,  par  te  Reynard,  Paris,  3 824. 

REMEDIES — Count  Dondolo  and  M.  La  Brouse  suggest 
instant  removal ;  supply  food  gradually ;  increase  slowly  until 
perfectly  restored. 

4th. —  Yellows.  About  fifth  age.  Symptoms:  1st — when 
about  to  spin  body  swells  j  enlargement  of  rings;  the  feet  have 
the  appearance  of  being  drawn  up  from  the  tumesience  of  the 
adjacent  parts ;  2nd — appear  of  a  yellowish  color ;  3rd — ceases 
to  eat  and  runs  about  leaving  stains  of  a  yellow  fluid  ;  4th — 
the  yellowness  first  appears  around  the  spiracula,  and  is  dif- 
fused over  the  surface;  5th — becomes  soit  and  bursts;  6th— 
the  humor  issuing  becomes  fatal  to  all  worms  it  touches. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  23 

CAUSES. — Sudden  exposure  to  great  heat,  also  to  moist  or 
damp  weather. 

REMEDIES. — Instant  removal' as  before  or  change  of  air; 
fires  if  necessary  ;  oak  leaves  have  been  given 'with  success. 

5th. — Muscardine  numbness,  appears  in  fifth  age.  Symp- 
toms: 1st — black  spots  in  different  parts  of  body;  2nd — 
become  yellow  and  finally  red  or  crimson  color  all  over  the 
body .  3rd — becomes  hard  and  dry. 

CAUSES.— Continuance  of  hot,  dry  and  close  air. 

REMEDY. — Remove  and  purify  the  air  by  fumigation,  and 
promote  active  circulation  by  ventilation. 

6th. —  The  Tripes  was  first  discovered  by  M.  Regand  de 
Lisle,  of  Crest.  Symptoms:  When  dead  they  become  placid 
and  soft,  and  preserve  a  fresh  and  healthy  appearance. 

CAUSE. — Rainy  weather.  M.  N37sten's  experimental  proof 
says  rapid  exhalations  from  the  litter  of  an  unclean  cocoonery. 

REMEDIES. — Dry  air;  flash  fires  in  stoves,  keeping  at 
proper  temperature.  The  discovery  and  remedy  of  this  dis- 
ease is  ascribed  to  Mr.  G.  B.  Smith,  of  Baltimore.  Chloride  of 
lime  as  a  fumigator  put  in  an  earthern  pan  or  cup. 


CHAPTER  II.— COCOONERY. 


A  cocoonery  jnay  be  made  of  any  dimensions,  according 
to  what  the  culturist  may  require. 

It  is  necessary,  before  entering  into  sericulture,  that  some 
place  or  building  should  be  prepared  for  rearing  and  feeding 
the  worms;  also  for  the  spinning  and  making  of  cocoons.  To 
the  novice,  or  those  who  wish  to  commence  on  a  small  scale,  I 
would  recommend  the  fitting  up  of  a  small  room,  or  corner  of 
a  room,  that  is  well  ventilated,  with  shelving  made  as  follows: 
A  frame  4x2  feet,  with  laths  nailed  across  at  a  distance  apart 
of  half  an  inch.  The  cocoonery  may  be  built  any  dimensions, 
with  either  adobe,  brick  or  lumber,  according  to  the  number 


24  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

of  worms  to  be  fed.  It  would  be  better  not  to  build  too  large 
a  room,  but  as  the  business  increases,  erect  adjoining  places,  as 
it  would  be  better  to  have  two  small  rooms  than  one  large  one. 
It  is  estimated  that  a  room  fifty-four  feet  long,  twenty-two  feet 
wide  and  ten  feet  high,  would  be  large  enough  to  raise  over 
twelve  ounces  of  eggs. 

The  way  to  fit  up  said  cocoonery  is  to  make  three  rows  of 
frames  for  shelving  all  along,  the  posts  to  be  placed  four  feet 
apart,  each  way,  divided  iri  the  middle  so  as  to  make  the 
shelving  four  by  two,  and  placed  one  above  another,  fourteen 
inches  apart,  commencing  at  least  one  foot  from  the  floor,  and 
at  a  suitable  distance  from  the  pitch.  The  frame  work  should 
be  made  of  scantling,  planed  for  uprights,  two  by  four.  The 
room  should  not  be  full  of  windows  but  well  ventilated  at  the 
sides,  near  the  bottom,  and  a  ventilator  on  the  top;  it  should 
also  be  fitted  up  with  a  stove  in  a  case.  After  the  hatching 
out  of  the  young  worms  the  temperature  of  the. room  should 
not  be  allowed  to  go  down  below  65°,  or  it  will  chill  the  worms 
and  thereby  cause  sickness  or  disease.  Let  it,  if  convenient, 
be  built  upon  rising  ground,  removed  from  stagnant  pools  of 
water,  or  any  stench,  and  care  should  be  taken  that  no  refuse 
is  allowed  to  remain  in  the  cocoonery,  that  tobacco  smoke  or 
any  other  offensive  matter  is  kept  away,  and  that  a  thermom- 
etre  is  kept  to  regulate  the  heat,  which  will  be  treated  upon  in 
one  of  the  succeeding  chapters. 


WM  W5L 


CHAPTER  L— ON  FEED  FOR  THE  WORMS. 

There  are  five  different  substances  in  the  mulberry.  1st— 
the  solid  or  fibrous;  2d — the  coloring  matter;  3d — water; 
4th — saccharine;  5th— resinous. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  25 

The  fibrous  substance,  the  coloring  matter  and  the  water, 
excepting  that  which  composes  the  body  of  the  silk- worm,  can- 
not be  said  to  be  nutritive  to  that  insect.  The  saccharine  mat- 
ter is  that  which  nourishes  the  insect,  and  that  enlarges  it  and 
forms  its  animal  substance.  The  resinous  substance  is  that 
which,  separating  itself  gradually  from  the  leaf,  and  attracted 
by  the  animal  organization,  accumulates  to  itself  and  insensi- 
bly fills  the  two  reservoirs  and  silk  vessels  which  form  the 
integral  parts  of  the  silk-worm.  Therefore,  from  the  different 
proportions  of  elements  which  compose  the  leaf,  it  follows  that 
cases  may  occur  in  which  a  greater  weight  of  leaves  may  yield 
less  that  is  useful  to  the  silk-worm.  "T^hus  the  leaf  of  the  black 
mulberry,  hard,  harsh  and  tough,  produces  an  abundance  of 
silk,  the  threads  of  which  are  very  strong,  but  coarse.  The 
leaf  of  the  white  mulberry  tree,  planted  in  highlands,  exposed 
to  cold,  dry  winds,  and  in  light  soil,  produces  a  large  quantity 
of  strong  silk,  of  the  purest  and  finest  quality.  The  leaf  of 
the  same  tree,  planted  in  damp  situations,  in  low  grounds,  or 
in  stiff  soil,  produces  less  silk,  and  of  a  quality  less  pure  and 
fine."  The  less  nutritive  substance  the  leaf  contains,  the  more 
the  worm  must  consume  to  complete  its  development;  in  con- 
sequence, the  worm,  from  its  fatigue,  by  taking  less  nutritive 
substance  in  a  greater  amount  of  leaves,  would  be  more  liable 
to  disease  than  the  worm  which  feeds  on  a  more  nutritive 
kind.  The  same  may  be  said  of  those  leaves  which  contian 
sufficient  nutritive  matter,  but  less  of  resinous  substance ;  in 
this  case  the  insects  would  thrive  and  grow,  but  probably 
would  not  produce  either  a  thick  or  strong  cocoon,  proportion- 
ate to  the  weight  of  the  worm. 

State  of  Leaves  for  Feeding. — All  silk  growers  have  rec- 
ommended the  feeding  with  dry  leaves  free  from  both  dew  and 
rain.  Nothing  is  so  obnoxious  to  the  insect  as  wet  leaves- 
Count  Dondolo,  one  of  the  greatest  experts  on  the  silk-worm, 
remarks :  "These  insects  would  be  injured  by  eating  leaves 
moist  with  either  dew  or  rain." — p.  39.  "The  stripping  of  the 
leaves  should  not  be  begun  before  the  disappearance  of  the 


26  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

dew,  and  ought  to  be  concluded  before  the  setting  of  the  sun  ; 
it  is  all  important  to  have  always  a  supply  oi  dry  leaves."- 
Count  de  Hazzi,  p.  65-07.  "The  preservation  of  the  health  of 
silk-worms  depends  essential!}'  on  the  leaves  being  perfectly 
dry  when  given  to  them.  Wet  leaves  invariably  produce  a 
diarrhea. — Manuel  published  by  order  of  Congress  in  1828, 
p.  128. 

It  it  needless  to  multiply  authorities  on  this  subject.  The 
worst  leaf  that  can  be  given  the  silk -worm,  and  which  has 
always  injured  it,  is  that  which  is  termed  "manner,"  and 
which  arrives  from  the  diseased  state  of  the  trees.  The 
blighted  or  rust  spotted  leaves  do  not  injure.  The  worm  will 
eat  this  leaf,  carefully  avoiding  the  spots. 

Preserving  the  Leaves. — To  avoid  these  accidents,  and  to 
supply  a  resource  for  many  days,  a  stock  should  always  be 
kept  on  hand,  sufficient  for  two  or  three  days,  which  may  be 
kept  without  injury  in  cold  places,  sheltered  from  the  light, 
but  not  too  dry,  such  as  cellars,  storehouses,  back  floors,  &c. 
They  would  lose  their  dampness  in  too  dry  a  place  and  should 
not  be  in  one  too  damp.  They  should  not  be  heaped  up  to- 
gether too  much,  so  as  to  promote  fermentation. 

Mode  of  Gathering  Leaves.. — Count  Nerrie  recommends 
the  passing  of  the  hand  from  the  lower  part  of  the  branch  to 
the  top,  and  to  strip  the  trees  of  its  leaves  upwards  and  not 
downwards,  as  the  latter  would  injure  the  buds.  This  should 
be  particularly  enjoined  on  children  and  others  who  are  em- 
ployed in  picking. 

CHAPTER  II.— HATCHING. 


The  hatching  should  not  be  attempted  until  the  leaves  of 
the  mulberry  are  fully  developed,  so  as  to  promote  an  abund- 
ance of  foliage.  It  is  always  safer  to  be  a  few  days  late  than 
a  day  too  soon.  The  method  in  hatching  of  eggs  pursued  at 
Brooza,  says  Mr.  Rhind,  is:  "The  temperature  of  the  chamber 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  27 

or  cocoonery,  or  any  other  place  used  for  the  purpose,  should 
be  63°  to  64° ;  this  is  effected  by  the  increasing  of  the  fire  or  re- 
ducing by  opening  the  windows,  etc.  This  temperature  should 
be  carefully  maintained  for  two  consecutive  days,  and  on  the 
thiid  increased  to  66°;  -fourth  to  68°;  fifth  to  70°;  sixth  to 
72°;  seventh  to  75°;  eighth  to  77°  and  ninth  to  81°.  This 
goes  to  show  that  it  is  not  mere  precision  that  is  here  essential 
to  success,  but  rather  a  gradual  elevation  of  temperature  to 
that  maximum  of  heat  which  a  transition  from  the  egg  to  the 
larva  requires.  When  the  eggs  are  carefully  exposed  to  heat 
in  the  manner  described,  they  will  show  signs  of  vitality  from 
the  seventh  to  the  ninth  day.  Count  Dondolo,  says :,  "The 
following  are  the  signs  of  the  speedy  vivification  of  the  silk- 
worm. The  ash-grey  color  of  the  egg  grows  bluish,  then  pur- 
plish ;  it  then  again  grows  grey  with  a  cast  of  yellow,  and 
finally  of  a  tingey  white.  The  young  larva  resembles  a  small 
black  worm,  and  generally  appears  from  sunrise  to  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  It  is  important  to  keep  each  day's  hatching 
by  itself,  by  placing  leaves  over  it.  They  may  be  easily  separ- 
ated from  the  eggs  and  put  upon  the  hurdles  or  tables  where 
they  are  meant  to  be  raised,  and  kept  apart,  if  one  day's 
hatching,  so  as  to  be  together  through  the  season.  Never 
should  the  worms  of  two  consecutive  days'  hatching  be  put 
together,  on  account  of  their  various  stages  of  moulting.  At 
times  they  will  travel  far,  if  kept  with  food.  The  silk-worm, 
if  not  properly  attended  to,  is  subject  to  disease.  The  congres- 
sional report  on  the  silk-worm  enumerates  eight  causes  of  dis- 
ease in  them,  viz: 

1. — Errors  in  hatching  of  eggs  and  in  the  treatment  of 
very  young  worms. 

2d. — Unwholesome  air  of  the  district  in  which  they  are 
bred. 

3d. — Impurity  of  the  air  in  which  they  are  kept,  arising 
from  imperfect  ventilation  or  from  the  exhalation  of  the  litter 
and  foces  of  the  worms,  which  have  been  permitted  to  ac- 
cumulate. 


28  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

4th. — Too  close  crowding,  owing*  to  which  cause*  their 
spiracles  or  breathing  orifices  are  vented. 

5th. — The  quantity  and  quality  of  food. 

6th. — Improper  change  of  food. 

7th. — Peculiar  constitution  of  the  air  in  certain  seasons, 
against  which  no  precaution  can  avail. 

8th. — Frequent  changes  cf  temperature  in  the  rooms  in 
which  they  are  kept. 

Before  proceeding  any  further  it  would  be  well-  to  speak 
of  the  many  enemies  to  which  the  silk-worm  is  subject.  The 
hurdles  or  shelves  or  tables  should  not  be  put  near  the  wall, 
and  the  walls  of  the  room  should  be  swept  clean  and  kept 
free  from  cobwebs,  as  the  spider  is  very  destructive  to  the 
worm  in  its  earliest  stages,  as  are  also  ants,  mud  wasps,  mice, 
birds,  toads,  poultry,  and  many  other  insects. 


CHAPTER  III.— FIRST  STAGE  AFTER  HATCHING. 


Rearing  and  Feeding,— Vowi  Dondolo,  in  giving  his 
precept  as  to  the  successful  rearing  of  the  silk-worm  to  the 
cocoon,  says :  "I  must  suppose  that  the  silk-worms  are  kept 
until  the  first  moulting  at  75°  of  temperature,  between  73° 
and  75°  until  the  second  moulting,  between  71°  and  73°  until 
the  third,  and  lastly,  between  68°  and  71°  until  the  fourth 
moulting.  One  of  the  foundations  of  the  art  of  rearing  the 
silk-worm  is  to  know  the  various  degrees  of  heat  in  which  the 
silk-worm  should  live;  if  this  precept  be  not  enforced,  nothing 
can  be  performed  with  exactness."  It  is  asserted  in  Mr.  Ros- 
coe's  course  of  agriculture,  that  it  is  not  relative  to  heat  suit- 
able to  the  condition  of  these  industrious  insects.  It  cannot 
be  said  that  silk-worms  are  injured  by  any  degree  of  heat  in 
this  climate,  however  considerable  it  may  be.  But  a  sudden 
change  from  moderate  to  violent  heat,  or  the  reverse,  is  in- 
jurious. On  feeding  Mr.  Compstock  says:  "Though  we  have 
not  much  faith  in  arbitrary  mathematical  rules,  yet  as  they 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  29 

* 

may  be-of  some  probable  use  to  the  culturist  in.  ascertaining 
the  amount  of  food  for  his  family  of  worms,  we  give  them  in 
such  extracts  from  the  manual  published  by  authority  of  Con- 
gress in  1828.  In  doing  this  we  will  give  the  prescribed 
amount  on  each  consecutive  day  of  their  life,  with  regard  to 
the  day  of  their  respective  ages : 

It  is  stated  by  Dr.  Lardner  that  it  takes  hurdles  of  eight 
square  feet  of  space  in  the  first  age  of  the  worms  hatched  from 
one  ounce  of  eggs;  and  in  the  second  age,  fifteen  square  feet; 
third  age,  thirty-five  square  feet;  fourth  age,  eighty-three 
square  feet;  and  in  the  fifth  or  last  age,  one  hundred  and 
eighty -four  square  feet;  the  worms  having  four  moultings. 
Having  completed  their  growth  in  about  thirty-three  days 
the.  hurdles  should  be  numbered  1,  2,  3,  4,  etc.,  and  each  day's 
hatching  kept  separate,  and  fed  as  follows:  First  day,  at  in- 
tervals of  two  hours  apart,  three-quarters  of  a  pound  of 
chopped  leaves  cut  very  fine  and  sprinkled  on  the  new  hatched 
worms,  which  are  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  long."  "Give  them 
plenty  of  room,  feed  them  regularly  four  times  a  day,"  says 
Count  Dondolo,  "if  you  wish  to  have  strong  and  healthy 
worms."  Second  day,  give  one  pound  and  a  quarter  of  chopped 
leaves  ;  feed  them  at  four  different  interval?,  dividing  the  time 
equally,  and  giving  the  smallest  quantity  at  the  first  feeding, 
and  so  increase  gradually.  Third  day,  give  four  meals,  con- 
sisting of  three  and  one-fourths  pounds,  cut  fine  as  before  named; 
they  will  now  begin  to  turn  a  sort  of  hazel  color,  and  have 
the  bristly  appearance  of  varnish.  When  viewed  through  a 
convex  lens,  their  surface  looks  something  like  mother  of  pearl 
—transparent.  Fourth  day,  as  the  worms  approach  moult- 
ing, a  diminution  of  appetite  occurs ;  let  the  first  meal  be 
about  three-quarters  of  a  pound  and  one  pound  and  a  quarter 
divided  at  the  other  meals ;  give  them  plenty  of  room  whilst 
moulting,  so  as  to  avoid  them  sleeping  in  a  crowded  state,  by 
gently  separating  and  spreading  them  some.  At  the  beginning 
of  this  day  the  first  appearance  of  change  is  indicated,  the 
worms  begin  to  shake  their  heads  and  thus  express  uneasi- 


30  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

ness  at  the  increasing  tension  of  their  skins,  some  scarcely 
eating  any,  keeping  their  heads  in  an  elevated  position  ;  their 
bodies  appear  transparent;  those  nearer  the  moulting-  time, 
when  seen  against  the  light,  are  of  a  livid  yellow  tinge,  but  the 
greater  number  at  the  close  of  the  day  appear  torpid  and  cease 
to  eat.  Fifth  day,  the  young  leaves  chopped  as  before  ;  about 
half  a  pound  should  be  scattered  thinly  over  them  at  four, 
and  several  times  towards  the  end  of  the  day  ;  as  a  general 
thing  the  worms  are  torpid,  and  begin  to  revive.  After  this 
moulting  they  should  be  cleansed  from  their  debris,  so  as  to 
keep  them  healthy  and  strong  after  they  have  recovered.  Be 
sure  to  use  the  young  leaves  only  in  this  stage. 


CHAPTER  IV.— SECOND  AGE. 

About  fifteen  feet  square  of  hurdles  will  be  required  for 
this  numerous  family  during  the  second  age  until  after  their 
moulting.  The  temperature  should  be  kept  through  this  age 
at  from  73°  to  75°.  The  insects  should  not  be  lifted  from  their 
litter  until  they  have  all  recovered  ;  then  lay  a  few  leaves  over 
them  to  crawl  upon,  and  so  distribute  them  on  the  shelves  or 
hurdles.  This  will  give  them  plenty  of  room  to  grow  and 
they  will  jiot  crowd  each  other.  Sixth  day — give  now  two 
pounds  of  young  tender  shoots  and  leaves,  cut  a  little  coarser 
than  before,  at  intervals  as  before  named,  and  after  removing 
them  to  clean  shelves  or  hurdles,  thoroughly  cleanse  those  from 
which  they  have  been  removed.  Experience  has  proven  that 
the  silk-worm  likes  the  tender  boughs  so  much  that  they  re- 
main covered  on  them  even  when  the  leaves  are  'consumed. 
Eighth  day,  give  now,  well  chopped  and  picked,  six  and  one- 
half  pounds  of  leaves  distributed  at  intervals  as  before,  letting 
the  two  first  meals  be  the  largest,  as  some  will  begin  to  show 
symptoms  of  the  second  moulting,  by  the  usual  prognostics  of 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  31 

rearing  their  heads  and  declining  to  eat.  Ninth  day,  give  one 
pound  six  ounces  of  picked,  tender  leaves,  chopped  small,  and 
distributed  as  in  the  moulting  before,  lightly  over  them ;  on 
this  day  is  again  discovered  the  period,  through  their  restless- 
ness of  change,  and  sinking  under  a  stupor.  The  next  day  their 
old  wardrobe  is  disposed  of  and  they  becomes  as  eager,  or  more 
so  in  their  third  life  than  in  the  first.  Their  color  has  now 
become  of  a  light  grey;  the  hair  has  become  so  much  shorter 
as  to  be  hardly  perceptible  to  the  eye.  The  muzzle,  which  in 
the  first  age  was  very  black,  hard  and  scaly,  became  immedi- 
ately on  moulting  white  and  soft,  now  again  becomes  black, 
shining  and  scaly  as  before;  and  as  the  insect  becomes  older 
at  each  moulting,  its  muzzle  hardens,  because  it  needs  to  saw 
and  bite  larger  and  older  leaves. 


CHAPTER  V.— THIRD  AGE. 


Tenth  day  give  six  pounds  of  tender  shoots  and  six 
pounds  of  leaves,  chopped  small ;  at  the  close  of  this  age  they 
may  be  chopped  more  coarsely.  The  worms  that  have  ac- 
complished this  age  should  not  be  removed  from  their  shelves 
or  hurdles  until  they  are  nearly  aroused,  for  part  will  arouse 
on  the  ninth  and  part  on  the  tenth  day.  No  injurious  conse- 
quence will  occur  if  the  part  tfrat  has  revived  should  wait 
twelve  or  fifteen  hours  until  the  rest  are  ready.  A  never-fail- 
ing sign  that  they  are  all  revived  is  the  undulatory  motion 
they  display  with  their  heads  horizontally  thrown  over  the 
shelves,  so  as  not  to  foment,  which  would  cause  noxious  evap- 
orations and  disease.  The  worms  should  now  be  removed  as 
before,  and  will  occupy  thirty-five  feet  square  of  shelves  or 
hurdles.  Eleventh  day— give  at  separate  meals  eighteen 
pounds  of  chopped  leaves ;  the  first  meal  should  be  the  least — 
the  worms  will  explain  the  reason  themselves,  as  in  the  latter 


O^  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

part  of  the  day  they  are  voraciously  hungry.  Twelfth  day  — 
nineteen  and  one-half  pounds  of  picked  leaves  will  be  wanted, 
chopped  and  divided ;  and  the  usual  meals  being  given,  to- 
wards evening  their  hunger  begins  to  abate — therefore  the  last 
meal  should  be  the  least.  The  worms  will  now  grow  fast,  their 
skins  become  whiter,  their  bodies  semi-transparent,  and  their 
heads  longer;  they  will  make  various  contortions  as  their 
change  approaches.  Thirteenth  day— ten  and  a  half  pounds 
of  leaves  will  be  sufficient,  chopped  as  before;  give  the  usual 
number  of  meals,  the  largest  first  and  the  smallest  last,  feeding 
only  those  that  require  it.  Should  a  great  number  be  torpid > 
whilst  others  require  food,  give  only  a  slight  meal  without 
waiting  for  the  stated  hours  of  feeding,  in  order  to  satisfy  them 
that  they  may  sink  into  torpor  speedily.  Care  of  this  kind  is 
important,  and  intermediate  meals,  given  with  discretion,  will 
prove  beneficial.  Fourteenth  day — five  and  one  half  pounds 
of  leaves  picked  and  chopped  will  be  sufficient,  in  ordinary 
cases  more  or  less,  as  the  case  may  require.  Indications  of 
silk  now  begin  to  appear  from  the  occasional  depositions  of  the 
insects.  The  worm  now  manifests  inclinations  to  solitude  and 
free  space  to  slumber  in.  It  either  climbs  the  edge  of  paper, 
the  elevated  stalks  of  leaves,  or  failing  in  that,  on  the  litter  ; 
it  rears  its  head,  expresses  its  uneasiness,  and  immediately  on 
the  v.erge  of  the  change  it  avoids  all  gross,  excrementitious 
matter,  the  only  fluid  remaining  in  the  worms.  This  is  that 
which,  prior  to  their  change,  gives  them  a  yellowish-white 
color,  like  amber.  Whilst  the  worm  thus  prepares  for  the 
moulting,  sufficiently  clear  the  air  of  the  cocoonery  by  moder- 
ate ventilation.  Fifteenth  day — on  this  day  the  arousing  of 
the  worms  js  an  indication  of  the  completion  of  the  third  age- 
The  muzzle  of  the  worm  during  this  age  has  maintained  a 
reddish  color,  it  is  no  longer  shining  and  black  as  it  appeared 
in  the  first  age,  but  now  becomes  more  lengthened  and  prom- 
inent; the  head  and  body  are  much  enlarged  since  the  casting 
of  the  skin,  or  before  they  have  eaten  at  all,  a  proof  that  they 
were  strengthened  in  the  skin  they  have  cast ;  and  being  now 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  33 

unconfined,  the  natural  specific  density  or  rarefaction  of  their 
substance  has  expanded  them' at  the  ordinary  rate  of  atmos- 
pheric pressure.  At  the  completion  of  this  age  the  body  of 
the  worm  is  more  wrinkled,  has  become  of  a  yellowish-white 
or  fawn  color,  and  without  a  glass  no  hairiness  is  visible  in 
this  age.  A  peculiar  hissing  noise  is  heard.  This  noise  does 
not  proceed  from  the  action  of  the;  jaw,  but  the  continual  mo- 
tion of  the  feet  that  sounds  not  unlike  a  shower  of  rain,  until 
they  fasten  on  the  wood,  when  it  ceases. 


CHAPTER  VL— FOURTH  AGE. 


The  worms  with  proper  care,  surviving  from. one  ounce 
of  eggs,  require  space  equal  to  eighty-three  square  feet,  and 
should  be  equally  distributed,  as  already  prescribed,  The 
temperature  should  not  be  less  than  68°,  nor  more  than  71°, 
according  to  Count  Dondolo;  but  when  it  xises,  as  at  this  sea- 
son it  inevitably  will,  higher  compensating  means  must  be 
sought  by  the  instant  removal  of  all  litter  liable  to  fermenta- 
tion ;  give  due  circulation  and  ventilation  throughout  the 
cocoonery.  After  the  third  age  be  careful  not  to  lift  the  worms 
from  the  hurdles  until  nearly  all  are  aroused.  It  is,  how- 
ever, advisable  to  place  the  early  roused  in  the  coolest  part 
of  the  building.  The  one  pajt  waiting  a  day  or  a  day  and 
a  half  for  the  other,  as  said  before,  is  not  injurious.  Place 
the  last  roused  in  the  warmest  part  of  the  building.  Be  it 
remembered  that  a  moderate  increase  of  heat  sharpens  the 
appetite  and  accelerates  the  growth  of  the  worm,  and  vice 
versa.  If  the  above  rules  are  observed  they  will  advance  the 
maturity  of  the  fourth  age.  Sixteenth  day — give  seven  and  a 
half  pounds  of  the  young  shoots,  and  twelve  pounds  of  picked 
leaves,  coarsely  chopped  with  a  large  blade.  When  the  mo- 
ment arrives  for  removing  the  worms  from  the  hurdles,  only 


34  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

one  or  two  hurdles  at  a  time  should  be  covered  with  young 
shoots.  These  shoots,  when  loaded  with  worms,  are  afterwards 
put  upon  the  empty  shelves,  and  removed  as  in  the  first 
moulting.  Many  may  remain  upon  the  hurdles,  who  as  yet 
have  not  strength  to  climb  the  young  shoots,  whilst  those  re- 
moved will  have  eaten  all  the  leaves  off  the  shoots;  of  neces- 
sity those  remaining  want  to  be  fed  a  portion  of  the  twelve 
pounds  of  leaves  before  named.  At  the  end  of  this  day  the 
worms  begin  to  evince  renewed  vigor.  As  they  become  more 
nimble,  they  lose  their  ugly  color  and  become  slightly  white, 
and  assume  more  animal  vivacity.  Seventeenth  day — thirty- 
three  pounds  of  leaves  slightly  cut  up  will  now  be  wanted. 
The  first  meal  should  be  the  lightest,  the  last  most  copious. 
The  worms  now  begin  to  grow  fast,  and  their  skins  continue 
to  whiten.  Eighteenth  day — forty-three  pounds,  slightly  cut. 
The  first  meals  of  the  day  to  be  the  most  plentiful.  Nine- 
teenth day — fifty-one  pounds,  cut  as  before  ;  the  worms  now 
begin  to  grow  rapidly  and  reach  one  and  a  half  inches  long. 
Twentieth  day — reduce  to  twenty-one  pounds  of  the  picked 
leaves,  as  the  appetite  diminishes;  let  the  first  meal  be  the 
largest  and  gradually  lessen  until  the  last;  several  are  begin- 
ning to  become  torpid,  with  discrimination,  only  as  they  are 
wanted.  The  worms  are  now  one  and  three-fourths  inches 
long.  Twenty-first  day — of  picked  leaves  give  seven  pounds, 
which  are  sufficient  for  this  day.  They  now  begin  to  decrease 
in  size — they  lose  part  of  their  substance  before  they  sink  into 
torpor.  The  greenish  color  of  their  rings  becomes  changed. 
and  their  skins  are  now  wrinkled.  Twenty-second  day — the 
worms  rouse  on  this  day  and  accomplish  their  fourth  age.  In 
about  the  seventh  day  the  worms  have  accomplished  their 
fourth  moulting.  The  insects  are  now  assuming  a  darker 
color,  or  greyish  with  a  red  tinge.  When  the  cocooneries  are 
kept  clean  the  air  of  the  cocoonery  is  preferable  to  the  ex- 
ternal, from  the  odor  of  the  fresh  leaves. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  35 

CHAPTER  VIL— FIFTH  AGE. 


This  age  of  the  silk-worm  is  the  longest  and  most  decis- 
ive. As'they  grow  in  this  age  they  are  liable  to  three  evils  : 
1st — the  quantity  of  fluid  they  disengage  every  day  is  occa- 
sioned by  transpiration  and  evaporation  of  the  leaves.  2d — the 
mephytic  exhalations  daily  emitted  from  the  excrernentitious 
matter  of  the  insects.  3d — The  damp,  as  well  as  the  hot  state 
of  the  atmosphere  of  the  cocoonery.  The  combination  of 
these  adverse  circumstances  may  inflict  injury  upon  the  in- 
sects ;  the  skin  of  the  worm,  by  these  means,  is  liable  to  relax- 
ation and  to  lose  its  elasticity ;  they  will  also  cause  languor, 
decrease  of  appetite,  and,  unless  the  course  be  arrested,  will 
cause  sickness  and  death.  The  quantity  of  vital  principle  in 
the  air  is  lessened  by  the  increase  of  vegetable  fermentation 
and  foetid  exhalation,  aggravated  by  the  heat  of  the  season. 
Therefore,  it  is  very  necessary  to  keep  the  cocoonery  free  from 
all  vegetable  and  foetid  matter,  so  as  to  keep  the  worms 
healthy. 

Twenty-third  day. — At  this  time  nearly  all  the  worms  are 
aroused,  or  have  accomplished  their  fourth  moulting.  The 
cocoonery  should  be  kept  at  a  temperature  of  about  68  or  70 
degrees.  The  worms  should  occupy  about  102  square  feet. 
Feed  them  eighteen  pounds  of  the  young  shoots,  or  of  com- 
mon size  leaves,  not  sorted,  and  also  eighteen  pounds  of  picked 
and  sorted  leaves.  The  eighteen  pounds  of  shoots  or  other 
leaves  are  the  ones  on  which  the  worms  are  to  be  removed  ; 
after  they  are  all  removed,  the  other  eighteen  pounds  should 
be  fed  in  four  different  meals. 

Twenty-fourth  day. — There  will  be  required  on  this  day 
fifty-four  pounds  of  asssorted  leaves,  divided  into  eight  meals 
— the  first  to  be  the  least  and  the  last  the  most  plentiful. 

Twenty-fifth  day. — The  worms  will  now  require  eighty- 
four  pounds  of  assorted  leaves,  divided  into  eight  meals,  the 
same  as  on  the  previous  day. 


36  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

Twenty-sixth  day. — The  worms  will  now  require  one 
hundred  and  eight  pounds  of  leaves,  fed  as  before.  The  vora- 
cious period  of  the  worms  is  now  rapidly  advancing;  some 
are  two  and  one-half  inches  long. 

Twenty-seventh  day. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  pounds 
of  picked  leaves  will  be  wanted.  It  will  be  necessary  for  the 
worms  to  have  intermediate  feeds,  when  the  regular  distribu- 
tion of  leaves  are  devoured  in  less  than  an  hour  and  a  half. 
Otherwise,  the  worms  need  not  receive  any  until  the  regular 
feeding  time,  which  is  every  three  hours. 

Twenty-eighth  day. —  Give  one  hundred  and  ninety 
pounds  of  well  assorted  leaves — the  first  meal  to  be  the  largest 
— fed  as  before.  Some  of  the  worms  will  be  now  three  inches 
long. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — Give  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds 
of  well  assorted  leaves — first  meal  to  £e  the  largest — fed  as  be- 
fore named,  and  diminished  gradually.  The  extremities  of 
the  insects  are  now  of  a  shining  hue. 

Thirtieth  day. — The  appetite  diminishes  this  day,  so  that 
only  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds  of  leaves  will  be  re- 
quired, given  in  eight  meals.  The  yellowish  hue  now  extends 
from  ring  to  ring,  and  they  are  gathering  to  the  edges  of  the 
hurdles,  which  indicates  their  advancement  to  maturity. 

Thirty-first  day. — Their  wants  now  diminish  and  they  re- 
quire only  ninety-nine  pounds  of  leaves,  to  be  distributed  with 
care  and  discretion,  as  wanted. 

Thirty-second  day. — During  this  day  the  fifth  age  will  be 
terminated,  and  the  rising  begins.  Everything  should  now 
be  cleansed  and  kept  clean.  They  are  now  being  perfected, 
which  will  be  known  by  the  following  signs ,  1st — instead  of 
eating  they  get  upon  the  leaves  put  upon  the  hurdles,  raising 
up  their  heads  ;  2d — when  looking  at  them  horizontally  they 
appear  of  a  whitish-yellow,  transparent  color ;  3d — when  they 
fasten  to  the  inside  of  the  edges  of  the  hurdles;  4th — when 
they  leave  the  centre  of  the  hurdles,  and  crawl  and  try  to 
reach  the  edges  of  the  hurdles  and  crawl  up  them  ;  5th — when 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE.  37 

their  rings  draw  in  and  their  greenish  color  changes  to  a  deep 
golden  hue;  6th — when  their  skins  become  wrinkled  about 

o 

their  necks  and  their  bodies  feel  like  soft  dough ;  7th — when 
taken  in  the  hand  and  looked  through,  the  body  of  the  worm 
.assumes  the  appearance  of  a  transparent,  ripe  yellow  plum. 
These  signs  are  prognostic  of  their  rising.  In  preparing  for 
them  to  spin,  the  usual  plan  is  to  put  small  oak  or  other 
boughs  for  them  to  crawl  upon,  and  in  places  small  pieces  of 
paper,  screwed  up ;  but  in  the  cocooneries  of  Europe  they  are 
fitted  up  with  racks,  as  may  be  seen  in  Mr.  Schettler's  cocoon- 
ery in  Salt  Lake,  and  mine  in  Provo.  The  spinning  is  now 
fairly  commenced. 


CHAPTER  VIII.— SIXTH  AGE. 


This  age  commences  in  the  pupa  state,  and  ends  when  the 
moth  emerges  from  the  cocoon. 

The  following  are  the  necessary  things  that  remain  to  be 
done.  1st — To  gather  cocoons.  2nd — To  choose  the  cocoons 
which  are  to  be  preserved  for  their  eggs  or  seed.  3rd — Pres- 
ervation cf  cocoons  until  the  appearance  of  the  moth.  4th— 
The  daily  loss  of  weight  which  the  cocoons  suffer  from  the 
time  they  are  finished  until  the  appearance  of  the  moths. 

In  gathering  the  cocoons  care  should  be  taken  in  remov- 
ing them  from  the  brush  or  racks,  as  the  case  may  be,  so  as 
not  to  bruise  or  waste,  and  to  save  the  floss.  The  floss  should 
then  be  taken  off  with  great  care  and  delicacy,  and  the  fibres 
not  pierced,  or  the  cocoons  not  flattened  or  bruised.  Assorting 
the  cocoons  is  to  select  those  intended  for  seed  that  are  perfect, 
whilst  putting  aside  all  imperfect  or  discolored.  Fourteen 
ounces  of  cocoons  are  equal  to  one  ounce  of  eggs,  and  one 
ounce  of  eggs  will  make  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds 
weight  of  cocoons.  (That  is  to  say  green  and  not  dry.) 

An  equal  number  of  males  and  females  should  be  selected. 
The  male  cocoon  is  smaller  than  the  female  one,  depressed  in 


38  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

the  middle,  as  it  were  with  a  ligature,  shaped  in  similar  to  a 
peanut,  sharp  in  somewhat  at  both  ends,  with  a  great  degree 
of  hardness  in  those  parts.  The  female  cocoon  is  larger  than 
the  male,  is  round  and  full,  not  much  and  not  often  depressed 
in  the  middle,  and  more  obtuse  at  both  ends. 

Preservation  of  Cocoons. — Where  the  temperature  of  the 
room  is  above  75°,  the  transition  of  the  chrysalis  to  the  moth 
state  would  be  too  rapid,  and  the  coupling  would  not  be  pro- 
ductive. If  below  68°  the  development  would  be  too  tardy 
Damp  air  will  change  it  into  a  weakly  and  sickly  moth.  The 
apartment,  therefore,  should  be  kept  in  an  even  and  dry  tem- 
perature, between  66°  and  73°. 

The  daily  loss  in  weight  of  1,000  ounces  of  cocoons,  from 
the  time  of  formation  till  the  moth  escapes:  One  day,  991, 
992,  975,  970,  968,  960,  952,  943,  934,  925,  according  to  the 
table  prepared  by  Count  Dondolo.  In  three  or  four  days  from 
the  commencement  of  the  spinning  if  the  silk- worms  have 
finished  their  cocoons,  and  in  seven  or  eight  days  when  they 
will  be  ready  for  picking  from  where  they  have  been  spun.* 
M.  D'  Homergue  says  eight  days — but  six  days  if  there  have 
been  no  thunderstorms  to  interrupt  the  labors  of  the  moth. 
Dr.  Parker  informs  us  that  with  the  use  of  electricity,  his  silk- 
worms have  spun  in  twenty  seven  days  from  the  hatchment. 

The  gathering  should  be  performed  with  care,  as  much 
waste  of  silk  is  thereby  saved.  The  cocoons  may  be  gathered 
in  five  days  from  being  finished,  but  where  they  do  not  all 
mount  on  the  same  day,  it  is  possible  that  those  may  be  culled 
that  are  not  quite  ripe  with  those  that  are.  In  gathering  they 
should  not  be  bruised,  but  carefully  taken  from  their  arches  or 
twigs  with  all  their  floss. 

Preservation  of  Cocoons  Intended  for  Producing  Eggs. 
— The  temperature  of  the  room  should  not  be  above  73°  or 
the.  transition  of  the  chrysalis  to  the  moth  state  would  be  too 


*Strip  tbe  cocoons  clear  of  down  or  floss  to   prevent  the  feet  of  the  moth 
bacoining  entangled  when  coming  out. 


TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE,  39 

rapid,  and  the  coupling  would  not  be  productive.  If  below 
66°  the  development  is  tardy,  which  is  also  injurious.  Damp 
air  will  make  them  weak  or  sickly ;  therefore  keep  an  even  tem- 
perature, between  66°  and  73°.  Those  not  intended  for  rais- 
ing the  seed  should  be  laid  out  for  killing  the  chrysalides  and 
drying. 

Stifling  the  Chrysalides. — Where  the  quantity  of  cocoons 
is  small,  the  necessity  of  cutting  may  be  superseded  by  im- 
mediate reeling,  the  chrysalides  should  be  destroyed  between 
the  fifth  and  twelfth  day  at  furthest  after  the  completion  of 
the  cocoon,  or  it  will  eat  its  way  through  and  thus  render  the 
reeling  of  its  work  impracticable. 

There  are  several  ways  of  killing  the  pupa  or  chrysalis. 
1st — by  baking  in  an  oven  of  the  temperature  of  88°  or  89° 
wherein  the  cocoons  are  shut  from  four  to  six  hours  after 
being  placed  in  bags,  which  must  be  turned  occasionally,  or 
moved  to  effect  an  equal  exposure.  2d — by  the  sun's  rays  at 
a  temperature  of  about  88°  in  which  they  may  be  left  for  three 
days  from  9  o'clock  a.m.  to  4  p.m.  3d — by  steam.  For  this 
purpose  place  the  cocoons  in  a  basket  lined  with  three  or  four 
folds  of  woolen  cloth  to  promote  the  equal  dispersion  of  the 
steam;  let  the  cocoons  remain  in  a  basket  of  sufficient  di- 
mensions to  GOV  er  the  mouth  of  the  kettle,  afterwards  raise 
the  basket  on  two  pieces  of  wood,  placed  across  the  kettle,  with 
water  kept  boiling  over  the  fire.  4th — by  suffocation  in  the 
gas  from  charcoal,  which  is  effected  by  simply  shutting  the 
cocoons  up  for  a  night  in  a  close  room,  wherein  a  pot  of  burn- 
ing charcoal  is  placed.  This  last  process  is  said  to  be  the  in- 
vention of  G.  B.  Smith,  of  Baltimore,  and  to  be  the  least 
injurious. 

CHAPTER  IX.— SEVENTH  AGE. 


It  completes  the  entire  life  of  the  moth  when  the  pupa, 
or  chrysalis,  has  completed  its  transformation  and  is  ready  to 


40  TREATISE  ON  SERICULTURE. 

depart,  it  puts  forth  a  liquid,  affirmed  by  some  to  be  an  acid, 
to  dissolve  the  gum;  the  point  being  softened,  it  forces  its 
beak  through  the  fibres  of  the  cocoon  and  makes  its  way  into 
open  day.  At  such  times  they  should  be  spread  upon  a  table 
or  suitable  place.  They  live  after  leaving  the  cocoon,  from 
five  to  twelve  days,  according  to  the  temperature  to  which 
they  are  exposed.  The  hours  in  which  the  moths  burst  the 
cocoons  in  greatest  numbers  are  the  three  first  hours  after  sun- 
rise, if  the  temperature  is  from  64°  to  66°.  The  male  moth, 
tiie  very  moment  he  leaves  the  cocoon,  goes  eagerly  after  the 
female.  When  united,  they  should  be  taken  up  by  the  wings 
with  great  care,  so  as  not  to  disturb  them  whilst  coupled. 
When  a  shelf  is  fitted  up  with  moths,  the  room  should  be 
made  so  that  a  person  can  hardly  see  in  it.  The  hour  of  junc- 
tion should  be  noted,  and  if  any  disunite  they  should  be 
again  brought  together.  Light  injures  them.  The  fluttering 
weakens  and  causes  a  loss  of  their  vital  and  fecunding  powers. 
The  cocoons  should  be  moved  away  as  soon  as  left,  and  when 
the  moth  separates,  after  a  sufficient  time  for  conjunction,  the 
males  should  be  thrown  away.  During  this  period  minute  and 
constant  attention  should  be  paid. 

The  Separation  and  Laying  of  Eggs: 

The  male  and  female  moths,  at  the  proper  time,  if  an  op- 
portunity is  presented,  will  unite  of  their  own  accord ;  but 
when  they  do  not  they  should  be  brought  into  juxtaposition, 
and  after  being  coupled  they  should  remain  until  they  sepa- 
rate themselves.  Some  recommend  separating*  them  alter  six 
hours,  but  this  is  not  consonant  with  the  instincts  of  the  in- 
sects, which  are  always  the  safest  guide.  If  they  separate  pre- 
maturely they  might  again  be  brought  together.  Let  the 
place  be  dark.  The  most  vigorous  of  the  males  must  now  be 
placed  with  the  unmated  females.  The  females  are  not  in- 
jured by  waiting  for  the  males  a  few  hours — the  only  loss  is  a 
few  unimpregnated  eggs.  While  they  are  thus  united,  have 
ready  clean  white  calico  or  sheets  of  white  printing  paper. 


TREATISE  OX  SERICULTURE.  41 

M.  Deslongchamps,  says  he  has  used  the  male  moth  with 
success  for  six  couplings,  and  the  male  was  as  lively  and  brisk 
as  at  the  first  disunion,  which  always  had  to  be  accomplished 
by  the  hand.  The  males,  alter  leaving  the  females,  if  not 
wanted,  should  be  thrown  away,  and  after  cleansing  off  the 
female  she  should  be  put  on  the  cloth  or  paper  to  deposit  her 
eggs,  and  there  remain  for  from  thirty  to  forty  hours.  If  the 
cloth  or  paper  is  not  covered,  other  females"  should  be  placed 
on  the  vacant  spaces.  The  temperature  should  be  from  65  to 
80  degrees. 
Preservation  of  the  Egg w. 

When  the  eggs  have  been  deposited  on  the  cloth  or  paper 
and  have  passed  through  the  several  changes  of  color,  name- 
ly :  after  they  have  attained  a  pale  clay  hue,  the  cloth  or  paper 
must  be  folded  so  as  to  admit  air  into  them,  to  prevent  heat- 
ing. The  air  should  be  dry  and  not  above  fifty  degrees,  and 
not  below  zero.  Frost,  it  has  been  proven,  does  not  hurt  the 
eggs,  but  sudden  changes  do.  They  must  be  preserved  from 
all  other  insects,  vermin,  and  other  enemies. 

"CTOOC!  keeping  will  produce  good  worms,"  said  Mr.  Rilley. 
If  properly  treated  they  will  never  degenerate  in  a  dry  cli- 
mate. 


NOTES. 


T<>  prepare   Perforated   or   other    Cocoon*  which  cannot  be 

reeled:. 

Fill  a  boiler  with  soft  water;  cut  soap  into  shreds  and 
dissolve  in  the  water  so  as  to  make  a  strong  suds;  then  put 
the  cocoons  into  a  bag  made  of  mosquito  bar,  open  at  the  side, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  take  them  out  handily ;  let  them  remain  in 
the  water  and  keep  it  up  to  a  scalding  heat  for  an  hour  ;  then 
take  them  out  and  rinse  in  two  or  three  clear  waters;  repeat 
until  the  gum  is  all  removed ;  then  dry  and  spin  them  on  a 


42  TREATJ3E  ON  SERICULTURE. 

small  flax  wheel,  holding  the  cocoon  between  the  finger  and 
thumb ;  be  sure  to  spin  them  even. 

Last  year,  on  account  of  late  frosts,  the  early  foliage  of 
the  mulberry  trees  got  killed  in  some  places.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  many  lost  their  worms.  Therefore,  in  future 
it  would  be  well  to  sow  in  the  fall  the  white  cabbage  lettuce,  so 
as  to  be  prepared  with  feed  in  case  of  such  another  occurrence, 
for  the  worms  will  do  very  well  on  the  lettuce,  during  the  first 
two  moultings,  but  if  you  feed  them  with  the  mulberry  leaf 
first  they  will  not  eat  the  lettuce. 

In  1878  a  great  many  worms  were  lost  when  they  were 
ready  to  spin  on  account  of  the  great  heat,  it  being  up  to  80°. 
We  lost  nearly  60,000  when  they  had  commenced  to  spin,  they 
being  in  an  upper  room,  and  it  could  not  be  cooled  by  wetting 
the  floor.  Mrs.  Wignell,  of  Payson,  saved  hers  by  making  an 
"experiment,  as  follows :  She  sprinkled  on  one  of  her  tables 
over  the  worms  cold  water  which  caused  them  to  revive,  and 
served  the  others  also  the  same  way  ;  she  thus  saved  her  worms- 
In  speaking  to  Mrs.  White,  of  Mill  Creek,  of  the  foregoing 
circumstances,  she  told  me  that  was  the  way  she  did,  and  with 
the  same  result. 


